Submarine hammer-drill unit



Aug- 31, 1926.

c. Q. HANSEN SUBMARINE HAMMER DRILL UNIT Original Filed Augusf 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 in T A s I H Aug- 31 1926.

C. C. HANSEN SUBMARINE HAMMER DRILL UNIT al Filed st 1925 3 Sheetsi-Sheet 2 n I l wlvu m i w um:

INVENTOR. (Yzavlcs 17471152911 Mww H15 ATTO NEY.

Aug. 31 1926.

c. c. HANfiEN SUBMARINE HAMMER DRILL mm Original Filed August 24 192.5

3 Sheets-Sheec 3 INVENTOR. fl fimacsflansen H115 ATTO NEY.

Patented Aug. 31, 1926.

UNITED STATE;

rice.

CHARLES C. HANSEN, F EASTON, PENNSYLVANTA, ASSIGNOB TO INGE-RSOLL-RAND COMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JER$EY,'A CQRPORATION OF NE'W JERSEY.

SUBI/IABINE HAMIMER-DRILL UNIT.

Original application filed August 2'4, 1925, Serial No. 52,136. Divided and Serial No. 96,101.

This invention is a division ing application, Serial No. August 24, 1925.

This invention relates to submarine drills,

but more particularly to a submarine hammer drill unit, in which a fluid actuated rock drill of the hammer type is lowered into the water and effects the drilling operations while submerged. The rock drill may be raised for changing steels as the depth of the drilled hole increases, and the entire operation of submarine drilling is carried out by substantially the same mode of operation which obtains on land with drills of the hammer type.

The objects of the invention are to obviate the great length of steel required with ordinary submarine drills of the percussive or reciprocating piston type, commonly known as piston drills, as distinguished from hammer drills, avoid the necessity of high towers on the drill barge, reduce the weight of the drilling units, lighten the labor of the drill operators and simplify and cheapen the cost of the entire operation of submarine drilling.

To all these ends the invention is shown in one of its preferred forms in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation partly broken away and partly in section showing a portion of a barge having submarine hammer drills mounted thereon. Three positions of the drill steel are shown;

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the barge and machines shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation partly broken away showing the submarine hammer drill cylinder and including the rotation mechanism for the drill steel and the submarine front head bell. In this View the drill steel is in the act of being lowered into the mud guard or protective shield which is projected through the loose material and broken rock down to the submerged rock or hard material layer to be drilled;

Figure 4 is an enlarged detail transverse sectional view partly broken'away taken on line 1-4l of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is an enlarged detail side elevation of the vertically slidable drilling element or frame carrying the hammer drill and rotation mechanism;

of my copend- 52,136, filed this application filed March Figure 6 is an end View of the drilling element shown in Figure 5; and

Figure 7 is an enlarged detail sectional elevation partly broken away of a modification showing the hammer cylinder provided with a lug chuck to take lugged steel.

Referring to the drawings, the barge A, only a portion of which is shown, may be of any suitable or usual construction for submarine drilling and is adapted to have mounted thereon one or more submarine drilling units B as shown in Figure l, in this instance three being shown, and each unit being provided with the submarine rock drill C of the hammer type adapted to be submerged in the water D during the operation of drilling. The loose material and broken rock usually lined in the bed of a river or on the bed of any body of water is represented at E and the rock or hard material to be drilled is represented at F. p

The barge A may be provided with the usual shed or housing or several sheds or housings G for sheltering the usual compressors, engines, pumps, implements and tools required for submarine drilling, although, for purposes of simplicity, these particular engines and machines are not shown, it being understood that the rock drills O forming a part of this invention are preferably adapted to be operated by motive fluid, as for instance compressed air, in which case a compressor or compressors would be required.

Each submarine drilling unit of the hammer type, as shown, is provided with a main frame H of any suitable construction preferably in the form of a tower of moderate height and having guides J which may be in the form of plates extending downwardly a sufficient distance, as for instance to the points a, to form guides for the drilling element or frame K shown separately in Figures 5 and 6, which element or drilling frame is slidable vertically on the guides J, but is preferably of s'uliicient length so that the upper end of the drilling frame remains out of water and is never submerged during the operation of drilling.

The guides J are conveniently secured to the channels L forming apart of the main frame H and the drilling frame is formed with the side plates O and cross braces P to which angle irons Q, are secured, thus forming guide channels into which the guide plates J extend so that the drilling frame may be guided on the guides.

A fluid. actuated rock drill of the hammer type is suitably secured to the lower end of the drilling frame or element K and preferably comprises the cylinder R containing the reciprocating hammer piston S, the separable front head T containing the chucl: parts of rotation mechanism for the 1 ill (f: steel U which is preferably a hollow steel so that cleansing fluid may be supplied through the steel; and: a bell V into which theexhaust' of the rock drill passes-through theexhaust passage W in any suitable man.- ner'so tha water ispreventedf from entering the reel; drill parts. The hainn'ier piston may be operated; automatically in any suitable manner, as is customary with hammer drills,.in this inst-ance'live pressure fluid being; supplied to' the rearward end of the cylinder B through the port.lOleadingthe valve chamber 121 for driving the p a" forwardly, and. is supplied to the forward end. of the cylinder through the pass age 13 for driving. the piston. rearwardly. wh the exhaust passes forwardly through the GTT- haust passage V. Any suitable valve (not shown); maybe'provided in the valve chamber12. sincethese elementsform no part of the present invention. The pressure fluid supply pipe Y is understood to be controlled by' any suitable. form. of main valve, to turn on and off the air from the main line, and the rock. drill itself would. be provided with the. usual throttle (not shown) for controlling the starting and: stopping of the operation of the hammer piston. The efficiency of the submarine hammer piston is main tained by operating at higher: air pressure from the supply than on land, due to the baclt. pressure; It will also be observer that the chuck: cavity into which the shank ofthe drill: steel. extends subject to GYllfiHSl', pressure because of the loose fit of the drill. steel shank in the chuckv and because access through other front head parts which furtlier'aid in keeping water out of the rock drill. A small bleeder port X is preferably formed: in the cylinder R leading from the pressure supply pipe Y and valve chamber 12 to the exhaust passage W so that live prtssure fluid isconstantly supplied to the bell which aidsin. keeping the water out of the rock drill parts as the machine is being lowered: beneath the water and bee s the drill starts in operation: and during submergence and operation. lzhe' air through the small bleeder port X. is not sullicient to start the drill alone; (lleansing water is sup plied to the roclr drill in the usual manner through the water supply pipe Z and water tube 1 which pipes are adapted to be car 'ied in any suitable manner to the drill barge A as for instance, through hose pipes and there supplied with air and water respectively under pressure. The drilling fran'ic H is adapted to be raised and lowered by means of the rope or cable 0 passing upwardly over the sheave (Z atthe top of the main frame H and connected to be operated by an titable wmdmo, engine haviig the frame 7. This connected to the foot piece j of the si mental frame at the point q passes llQWR; over a small winding engine 7* of any suitable type supported from the main fi 'ie ll as shown in Figiu'e 2, so that the til-hing frame or element and the supplenu frame formed by the members 7L and j are independently vertically movable a adjustable. The supplemental frame 0 tubular mud guard or protective shield a which is ad pted to be forced through the loose or broken material E on top of the rock F for the purpose of protecting the drill steel and the hole to be drilled. By reason of the construction described. a con venient method of forcing or drivi g the mud guard a down into the rock is that indicated in Figure 1 in which the supplem ntal frame 5 is first lowered until the mud guard is within the material E and then the tilling frame K is lowered until the weight of the frame and the parts carried thereby 1's upon the foot piece A short length of drill steel U preferably projects through the mud guard s as shown in the drill unit at the left hand side of Figure 1. The operation of the hammer drill is then started and cleansing water is at the same time forced down through the drill steel through the pipe Z. he weight of the drilling fran e and its parts together with the vibration caused by the operation of the l and the cleansing effect of the water down through the drill steel will quickly drive or thrust the mud guard through the loose or broken material until the mud steel may be at all times observed from a point above the surface of the water on the barge A, independent rotation is applied to the drill steel operated by a suitable motor t carried on the bracket P at the upper end of the drilling frame K. This motor may be a pressure fluid motor or an electric motor or one of any other suitable type and is moved up and down together with the drilling frame. Suitable operative eonnections are provided between the rotation motor 2/ and the rotation mechanism located in the front head. of the rock drill and for this purpose a rod or shaft u may be conveniently provided operated by the motor gears e at the upper end and provided with a pinion 20 at the lower end meshing with the rotation gear on the chuck i into which the shank of the drill steel U extends. By this means the rotating shaft or rod u and the motor are always visible from the barge A and if the drill steel sticks the operator is aware of the fact and can cease drilling until, the drill steel is released. Furthermore, the operator always knows whether or not drilling is being effected.

In Figure 3 a collared drill steel is shown having the collar 2 and means are provided in the form of rocking clamps 3 for clamping the drill steel. These clamps are secured to the pivots 4: on the bell V and are provided with levers 5 outside the bell connected by the rope 6 which leads to a suitable point on the barge A so that the drill steel clamp may be set or released as desired by hand.

In the modification shown in Figure 7, a Leyner chuck of the rock drill is shown adapted to receive a lug steel having the lugs 7 so that the drill steel clamp is unnecesssary and the drill steel is released by slightly turning the rock drill which may be eflected at any suitable manner as by twisting the rotating shaft or reversing the motor 25.

I claim:

1. In a submarine hammer drill unit, the combination of a main frame. having guides, a vertically movable drilling element on said guides comprising a drilling frame, a fluid actuated rock drill of the hammer type secured to the lower end of said drilling frame, means for clamping the drill steel, and means for controlling said clamping means from above the surface of the water.

2. In a submarine hammer drill unit, the combination of a main frame having guides, a vertically movable drilling element on said guides comprising a drilling frame, a fluid actuated rock drill of the hammer type secured to the lower end of said drilling frame and adapted to be bodily submerged for drilling purposes, a bell at the front end of said rock drill into which the rock drill exhausts to prevent water from entering the rock drill while submerged, means within the bell for clamping the drill steel, and means for controlling said clamping means from above the surface of the water.

3. In a submarine hammer drill unit, the combination of a main frame having guides, a vertically movable drilling element on said guides comprising a drilling frame, a fluid actuated rock drill of the hammer type secured to the lower end of said drilling frame and adapted to be bodily submerged for drilling purposes, a bell at the front end of said rock drill into which the rock drill exhausts to prevent water from entering the rock drill while submerged, means within the bell for clamping the drill steel,means for controlling said clamping means from above the surface of the water, and independent means for rotating the drill steel adapted to be partially submerged at the level of the rock drill but having rotating portions visible from above the surface of the water in which the rock drill is operating, whereby the operator may constantly observe from the surface whether or not the drill steel is being rotated.

41-. In a submarine hammer drill unit, the combination of a main frame having guides, a vertically movable drilling element on said guides comprising a drilling frame, a fluid actuated rock drill of the hammer type secured to the lower end of said drilling frame, said rock drill including a hammer cylinder and reciprocating fluid actuated piston, a separable front head containing rotation mechanism, a separable bell forwardly of the front head into which the rock drill exhausts to prevent water from entering the rock drill while submerged, means within the bell for clamping the drill steel, and means for controlling said clamping means from above the surface of the water.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification.

CHARLES C. HANSEN. 

